Batainte

Thanks for this. And their purpose is as @jonathanA mentioned- purely decorative- nothing to do with protecting the windows, reducing condensation or some other magic trickery? When anyone fits out a boat from scratch why wouldnt they produce internal battens/ window holding frames with the relevant curvature to fit the shape of the window in order to avoid changing these every now and then?

This was the first time working on the refit and actually the first project working on a canalboat, so pardon the lack of descriptive terminology. Someone has mentioned these on the thread below The picture below was posted by someone from another thread where the "triangular bits" are more clear (unless its part of their interior design) Thank you, its clear now. Was under the impression that these serve a purpose which i am unsure of.

Thanks, was under the impression that when it comes to timber choices then sapele is used as a standard on canalboats. At least wheelhouses and pigeon boxes usually are made of this material. Iroko or teak would definitely be the best option due to its composition, but these probably suit more on yachts costing over 6 figures. It is going to be a continuous cruiser, with a generator, solar system and largish battery pack. Never actually used a de-humidifier in life, but would it suffice in reducing any internal condensation to minimum and how long would it need to be running for to perform well? After learning more about this topic, it appears that it would best to fit aluminum ones, and was thinking about double glazed with thermal break system. So far found that Channel Glaze and Caldwells are what most of community talks about - would anyone know what their primary differences would be?

Making a passive boat would be a great idea. Although its another power-hungry device, wouldn't a proper de-humidifier dramatically reduce the amount of condensation given there is an ongoing access to power? How about 3M strips? Cheerio Looks like a nice setup. Although i wouldnt mind retreating the frames every now and then as a small day project during the summer (accepting it as a part of boating lifestyle), the biggest concern is the fact that steel is a great conductor and having timber frame windows may impact their life in longterm, especially without having proper thermal break options. Have you done any internal refit around the windows since owning her? Some time ago was doing work on a 1990 41ft narrowboat where it was stripped down to bare steel around the windows (made of aluminum frame), the holding frame and battens around had plenty of damage on them- some even holding so much moisture it could actually be squeezed out (despite having no evidence of this on interior wall linings) see the pictures below. When stripping everything off and removing old ply holding frame from steelwork, where the wood sat was totally damp on the plate itself- leaving a wet imprint in the shape of the wood piece on the wall Perhaps back in the days they didnt have high performing sealants/ paints available on the market to improve on waterproofing, but seeing the state of holding frame/ battens underneath everything was the main reason for reconsidering the original idea of having wood frame windows and posting on here.

Was aware only of aluminum frame, what would be the difference in the performance between them? Would you know of any decent manufacturers? A proud owner of your book Will be using the blueprints to fabricate the roof lights. Its important to maintain the vessels' resale value, was actually theorizing that wood frame barge style windows in mahognay sapele would actually make a great look and add value as a result. Been following "Leaking skylights", it appears that condensation is an enemy that cant be avoided.

STORY Been experimenting with a refit of a 41ft 1990 narrowboat and have arrived at the stage of reaching window panels. After removing the wall panels noticed that all the battens holding the window have rotten and were generally in a bad condition. As a result stripped everything down to plate, removed old window frames and made new ones, then reattached the windows to that. PROBLEM When stripping everything off, noticed the little triangular bits and just chucked everything away as i assumed someone was cutting corners when fitting the frames and it was easier for them to cut straight angles and add the little edges later on. To replace the old holding frames, the new one was made with a nice angle to fit the curvature of aluminium window frame, then covered it with a layer of bitumen onto as a protection from moisture buildup (see pictures). The window itself has been rescrewed back onto the new holding frame and used a high performance sealant to stick everything together between the steel plate. Unfortunately forgot that previous holding frames were different shapes so didnt bother about replacing the triangular bits as i assumed it was easier for the previous person to do it this way. QUESTIONS Would anyone be able to explain the purpose of these wooden bits? Should new holding frame be replaced? Thanks

True also. However the timber frame expands and contracts in regular homes on average of 1-4 mm (depending on the location ofcourse) during different seasons/ weather conditions. This can be especially be observed at periods of high humidity when closing a timber door or windows whilst it catches the bottom frame itself due to having absorbed more moisture. If using proper quality mastic sealant when installing the frames, in theory it should minimise this effect. Wouldn't aluminium and steel expand/ contract at different rates as well as they are different metals?

Point taken. Nevertheless, the reason for leaning towards timber frame windows is due to their insulating properties as well as the potential of lasting longer than average windows. Besides that, an acquaintance of mine is a joiner so this could come in handy as well.

Hello everyone, quite a long one, so TLDR for this reason is down below. Been a long time lurker and have acquired a wealth of knowledge on here over the past years which has led to starting a project of my own. Recently embarked on a 70x12 liveaboard which was fabricated from scratch and is at a "soon-to-be delivered" stage. Therefore making everything watertight whilst reducing condensation and heat loss to bare minimum is an essential part of the project. Apart from windows, the vessel will also have skylights so quite a few holes to cover. This being a new build and intended for full- time living, therefore it is important to choose the most efficient option for windows and actual frames as well as considering their potential pros and cons of future performance, maintenance, cost effectiveness, etc. This is where my knowledge is limited only to onshore dwellings where its common to find either uPVC or timber frame units. As other users on Canalworld have shared their existing skylights- the said two dog/ pigeon boxes most likely will be fabricated in mahogany sapele using double glazed glass for insulation purposes. This leaves the decision on window frames in a great limbo. So far have explored various options for window frames- uPVC (great heat insulator, but doesnt look appealing), aluminum frames with thermal break (currently seems to be the optimal standard), but never seen anyone share about timber frame windows. For premium comfort, when planning for a newbuild onshore one would choose timber frame windows, whether the budget allows paying the premium price in comparison to regular plastic uPVC. Apart from aesthetical reasons, timber frame windows have higher insulation than steel or aluminium, they also have increased "breathability" factor this allows for an indoor air exchange thus improving on air quality (it doesnt get stuffy stale air compared to uPVC windows), this can be observed especially during autumn/ winter months. Initially, due to reasons above was leaning more towards timber frame units (either oak or mahogany sapele) to be used on the boat instead of aluminum with thermal break, however i have no real life experience with these on boats. Big concern is condensation and moisture buildup between the steel plate, battens and window frames itself. It would be a shame to invest in something of high value just to have everything torn out and repair in a few years time becouse certain aspects were not taken into account. Does anybody have timber frame windows on their canalboats, do you have any issues with them not lasting what they are meant to, any other issues, would any expert boaters actually suggest going down this potentially risky route etc...? Perhaps someone has changed their windows from aluminium to wood or vice versa- did you notice any difference? Thanks for taking your time. TLDR; 70x12 newbuild, potentially installing timber frame windows throughout, however unsure of their performance or any potential condensation buildup between steel plate, battens and window frames themselves. Does anybody have experience with these? Perhaps changed their windows from aluminium to wood or vice versa- did you notice any difference? Aluminium vs. Wood frames? Any comments, suggestions...